cthomas

Regardless of how the PSU game goes, I think we should enjoy the progress that this team has made this year. We are who we are in football, but I think even the most pessimistic fans can recognize that this team is different.

The good news is with all the problems that Penix has had Ramsey is engaged and ready to play.

I'll have one with you. What are we drinking to again?

Exactly!! We don't have to choose one or the other. They are both Hoosiers and deserve our support. Because I think MP gives us the best chance to win doesn't mean I am in any way anti Ramsey. I want both of them to succeed.

I like Ramsey as much as anyone, but the ball comes out quicker and gets to the receivers sooner with MP. I would much rather have MP in the game, but really like having Ramsey there to back him up.

I have no agenda, but to my eyes MP is clearly better under center and I like Ramsey a lot.

You may very well be right. I'm just saying that he didn't really help us as much on the court as maybe a three year recruit might have. I'm happy we got for optics if nothing else. But we were not in a place where he was a difference maker for last years team.

I wasn't advocating for the the one and done players at all. I really like the direction CAM is going and how the program is being built. If Lander wants an offer from Duke, then I'm not sure he fits what Indiana is trying to do. I was trying to say that those type of players don't view IU as being on the same level as the perennial top ten programs. And, won't until our on court performance is similar. Personally, I like watching kids develop over three or four years and getting to know them a little bit. I like the continuity that comes from kids playing together over time. As much as I liked Langford, he didn't help at all in terms of building the program in my opinion. I get that CAM had to recruit Romeo, but the timing was all wrong for a player like him. This is the long way around of saying I believe that getting old and staying old is best approach for IU.

The reality is that we will have to start performing on the court like a perennial top ten team before this and future generations of kids start viewing us that way. Currently, our realistic recruiting shopping list rarely includes kids who receive offers from the Dukes, Kentuckys, UNCs, and etc. More often than not, unless the check is really big, kids who can go anywhere they want go where they can realistically have a shot at a national title. Honestly, I can't blame them.

I don't see this leveling the playing field at all. If anything, I see the gap getting wider. If there is an attempt to cap earnings, under the table payments will just continue as usual. Without a cap, anyone with a lot of money can "hire" a player for endorsements from his favorite university. I think it will likely damage mid majors and the smaller schools in the long term the most. The line between professional and amateur athletes will no longer exist. Maybe it's time for a new sanctioning body and a reorganization of college athletics. On a side note, how long before this filters down to the high school level?

I wonder what this might do to the internal chemistry of a team. If there's jealously now, I can only imagine what will happen when a teammate or two are making money and the others aren't.

I don't pay much attention to injury issues with other programs, but we seem to have had a significant number in recent years to impact players. The list since the Crean years would be impressive.

I have been really excited about Franklin, but had hoped we wouldn't need major minutes from him this soon. Great opportunity for him to show us what he's got.

Anytime someone is not practicing it is concerning. But RP is arguably the most important piece of this team. If this has been ongoing for a month or more and is not resolved, that sounds like a major red flag. The lack of information about the condition of injured players these days is maddening for a fan standpoint. And I am fully aware of the legal restrictions....but still!

All the talk of the injuries being nothing to worry about aside, it's my nature to worry until I see them playing. We have plenty of recent evidence about what injuries to key guys can do to a season. If this continues our perceived depth may get tested early and often.

It comes from the usual provocateurs.

Been a problem with IU football for a long time.

Nebraska is just playing with more energy so far.

Wherever he wants.

I think Franklin is going to be that guy who quietly does a little bit of everything with no real weakness in his game. Nothing flashy, no highlight reels, just wins games.

Whenever my wife accuses me of always seeing the negative, I show her some Iugradman posts to make myself look a little better. I tell her that I'm just being realistic and calling it like I see it. Doesn't really work for me either.

With HH behind us and the the ramp up to the season officially underway, one of my thoughts is that we need to appreciate TJD while we have him. Kids with his mindset, attitude, and appreciation for the program don't come along very often. The dunk with the 40 Jersey was really a nice touch and link between the past and present.

If we win everything where the talent level on the field is close, we might get to six wins. I think Pennix gives us the best opportunity to do that. I haven't seen anything from Ramsey this year that tells me he is better than last year. The UCON game looked like I was watching last year's offense and it was uninspiring to me. I have nothing but respect for how Ramsey conducts himself, but I just don't think he is the guy who will get us where we want to go. Maybe Pennix isn't either in which case we are a four or five win program.

We won't be the last team they make look terrible. The difference in this OSU team versus some of the past teams is their defense is much better. Their defensive backs were on top of our receivers all day and we didn't have anything for their lines. Yesterday we saw what great looks like. Now we need to move on and maximize the remaining season.

It seems ridiculous to say but at 51 - 10, the game wasn't as close as it looks.